Frame for an object such as a christmas card, picture, or the like



March 12, 1957 c s, pRlCE 2,784,511

FRAME FOR AN OBJECT SUCH AS A CHRISTMAS CARD, PICTURE, OR THE LIKE Filed Sept. 16, 1952 lNVE/VTOR CHARLES 5. PRICE BY jmm fl A TTO/Q/VEV United States Patent Charles S. Price, Rutherford, N. J.; Thomas D. Austin,

executor of said Charles S. Price, deceased Application September 16, 1952, Serial No. 309,767

Claims. (Cl. 40--=152.1)

This invention relates to picture frames or photo mounts and, more particularly, to such frames formed from a single sheet of thin metal, and adapted for holding objects such as Christmas cards, pictures or the like.

The principal object of my invention, generally considered, is to provide for the economical mass production of small picture frames, each formed from a single sheet of thin metal, so that cheap but attractive frames may be provided for holding objects such as Christmas cards, pictures, or the like.

Another object of my invention is to provide a picture frame for-med from a single sheet of thin metal, portions of said metal being embossed and cut to form tabs attached to a border portion for holding a picture or other object in place with respect to the border portion, as well as providing easel means without the use of any auxiliary parts.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method for mounting articles such as Christmas cards, pictures or the like, employing a single sheet of thin metal as a border for each picture, as well as making an easel to hold the frame and mounted article in generally upright position, with parts serving to hold the article centered with respect to said border portion.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Referring to the drawing illustrating my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a blank from which a frame embodying my invention may be constructed.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line IIII of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows, with tabs bent to position for holding an object, omitting some of the reinforcing rib details, the thickness of the material being exaggerated.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. l, in the direction of the arrows, showing some of the reinforcing ribs in transverse section, the illustrated thickness of the material being more nearly what would be used in practice.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line IV--IV of Fig. 1, in the direction of the arrows, with tabs bent to position for holding an object, omitting some of the reinforcing rib details, the thickness of the material being exaggerated.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the frame holding an object, such as a Christmas card or picture, omitting some of the decorative frame details.

Referring to the drawing in detail, like parts being designated by like reference characters, there is shown in Fig. 1 a blank, which may be used for framing a card or picture 12 without any auxiliary means. For this purpose the blank is shown as a sheet of thin metal, readily bendable, and tough enough to be bent back and forth a plurality of times without breaking. It is, of course, stiff enough to retain its shape, say about as thick as light tinned steel from which cans for preserving vegetables are made, although desirably made of aluminum or other non-rusting metal or alloy. It is provided with a border portion 11, suitably decorated, and having in the present embodiment four tabs 14, 15, 16 and 17 formed there from by cutting along the lines 18, 19, 21 and 22.

The tabs 14 and 15 are larger than the other two, 16 and 17, and are respectively for forming easel portions for allowing the frame and its picture to stand in a generally upright or slightly inclined position. The extreme free edge of each is parallel to its edge which is connected to the border portion, so as to make line contact with a supporting surface. If the frame is square, rather than rectangular as here illustrated, then only one of the tabs 14 and 15 is necessary for easel purposes and the tab construction may be correspondingly modified. However, it is not undesirable to have two tabs. suitable for easels. In order to provide means for holding an object at its edges, I form from the easel tabs 14 and 15, respectively, smaller tabs 23 and 24. Said smaller tabs, however, extend from lines 25 and 26, respectively spaced inwardly slightly from the lines 27 and 28, at which. said easel tabs join with the border portion 13.

In order to facilitate bending of the tabs from the border portion, and then bending portions of said tabs back over the object being framed, the sheet of metal 11 is desirably provided with bending line embossments, not only along the lines 27 and 28, but also along the lines 29, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35, so that all of the tabs may, if desired, be bent back and out, to a position corresponding with the dotted line position represented at 17 in Fig. 2, where said tab 17 is bent back and out along the bending line 31, and then said tabs may be bent back over the adjacent edges of the object 12 being framed, as indicated by the full line position 17 in Fig. 2, after bending along the line 35 and through the intermediate dotted position 17" in Fig. 2.

Although I have disclosed in detail only the bending of the tab 17, yet all of the tabs are bent over the corresponding edges of the object in a similar manner, with the exception of a tab, such as that designated 15 and shown in diagonal position in Fig. 2, which functions as the easel. This tab instead of being bent back over the corresponding edge of the object being framed is merely bent back along its line corrugation 28, and bent diagonally backward and outward from its line corrugation 33. Its small tab 24 is, however, bent back from the corrugation 33 over the corresponding edge of the object being framed.

The bending of the tabs 14 and 16 over the object being framed is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 4, where the tab 15 is shown bent out to function as an easel, as it also appears in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 also shows the tab 14 bent out so that it could function as an easel if the picture frame were to stand on one of its long edges, the tab 15 serving as an easel when the frame is resting on a short edge.

Not only is the border portion 11 decorated and embossed for bending, but it is also desirably embossed as, for example, to form the rigidifying head 36 along its outer free edge, a similar rigidifying bead along its inner edge, and the dots 37 along lines near and around the picture opening, but all of the tabs are rigidified by embossing. Thus the tab 14, not only has its free edges embossed, but is provided with diagonal ribs or embossings 38. The tab 15 is likewise formed with embossing ribs 39, the tab 16 with embossing ribs 41, and the tab 17 with an embossing rib 42. All of these ribs converge toward the edge embossements as the tabs extend from their outer or border-connected edges, toward their free inner edges. Some of these embossments are illustrated in section in Fig. 3.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that the frame may be of a shape other than rectangular and other modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention. A non-limiting example of metal thickness is .003 aluminum,

I claim:

1. A frame for an object such as a Christmas card, picture, or the like, comprising a single sheet of thin metal suitably decorated around its border portion, leaving an inner picture opening portion, said inner portion being slit diagonally from its corners in the general direction of the center to form four tabs, to perform the triple function of providing an easel, holding the object centered with respect to the border portion, and clearing a pictureviewing opening in the border portion, for these purposes two of said tabs extending from adjacent edges being larger than the other two and formed with their extreme free edges parallel to the edge connected to the border portion and their sides converging thereto, all of said tabs having bending line embossments along their outer edges defining the picture opening, and other line embossments spaced inwardly therefrom a slight distance, said larger tabs having smaller tabs cut therefrom inside their margins but connected thereto at their inner line embossments.

2. A frame for an object, such as a Christmas card, picture, or the like, comprising a single rectangular sheet of thin metal suitable decorated around its border portion, leaving an inner rectangular picture opening portion, said inner portion being slit diagonally from its corners in the general direction of the center to form four tabs, two of said tabs extending from adjacent edges being larger than the other two and formed with their extreme free edges parallel to the edges connected to the border portion and their sides converging thereto, to perform the triple function of providing an easel, holding the object centered with respect to the border portion, and clearing a picture-viewing opening in the border portion, for these purposes all of said tabs having bending line embossments along their outer edges defining the picture opening, and other line embossments spaced inwardly therefrom a slight distance, said larger tabs having smaller tabs cut therefrom inside their margins, but connected thereto at their inner line embossments, whereby an object, such as a Christmas card or picture of a size corresponding with the rectangle defined by the inner line embossments, when the tabs are bent b ack on the border,-

may be framed by said single sheet being placed face down, bending all the tabs up and back along their outer edge embossments, placing said object over said frame with its edge inside the inner line embossments, and bending back thereover all but one of the larger tabs, leaving said one larger tab extending diagonally up and out toward the frame edge to serve as an easel.

3. A frame for an object, such as a Christmas card, picture, or the like, comprising a single rectangular sheet of thin metal suitably decorated around its border portion leaving an inner rectangular picture opening portion, said inner portion being slit diagonally from its corners in the general direction of the center to form four tabs, to perform the triple function of providing an easel, holding the object centered with respect to the border portion, and clearing a picture viewing opening in the border portion, for these purposes two of said tabs extendthereto at the inner line embossments, and all of said tabs being reinforced by embossments extending diagonally from their inner line embossments and converging toward their free ends.

4. A frame for an object, such as a Christmas card, picture, or the lilte, comprisi ng asingle rectangular sheet of thin metal suitably decorated around its border portion leaving an inner rectangular picture portion, said inner portion being slit diagonally from its corners in the general direction of the center to form four tabs, to perform the triple function of providing an easel, holding the object centered with respect to the border portion, and clearing a picture-viewing opening in the border portion, for these purposes two of said tabs extending from adjacent edges, being larger than the other two, and formed with their extreme free edges parallel to the edges connected to theborder portion, and their sides converging thereto, all of said tabs having bending line embossments along the outer edges defining the picture opening and other line embossments spaced inwardly therefrom a slight distance, said larger tabs having generally semicircular smaller tabs cut therefrom inside their margins but connected thereto at their inner line embossments, whereby one of said tabs may serve as an easel while allowing its smaller tab to hold in place the adjacent edge of the object. 7 p

5. A frame comprising a suitably decorated thin metal border; portion defining a picture opening, rigidifying embossments along the inner and outer edges of said border portion, the picture opening of said border portion being initially closed by supplemental portions, at least one of said supplemental portions being bendable with respect to one side of said border portion to form an adjustable easel, a part integral with said easel including a smaller portion slit therefrom inside margin thereof and serving to hold a marginal portion of an object such as a Christmas card, picture or the like, andother supplemental portions movable to overlie the other marginal .portions of said object to hold it in place, for framing by said border portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS r 547,377 Gillbee oer. 1, 1895 1,626,565 Stanton Apr. 26, 1927 1,931,205 Montayne Oct. 17, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS v 407,876 France Mar. 12, 1910 

